Siege of Damascus (1799)

The Siege of Damascus (early June 1799) was a major battle of the French Revolutionary Wars that occurred in the Syrian capital of Damascus during the Egyptian Campaign. The 1,770-strong French armies of Napoleon Bonaparte and Jean-Baptiste Kleber laid siege to Damascus, an important waystation for pilgrims en route to Mecca and an important military and cultural center of the Ottoman Empire in the Levant. The French believed that the capture of Damascus would bring an end to the war with the Ottomans, as its capture would deprive the Ottomans of their power base in the region. Kleber's army broke through Ottoman defenses outside of the city, killing 1,384 Ottomans in a battle outside of the city that cost him 409 men, and Kleber and Napoleon's armies jointly assaulted the 1,286-strong Damascus garrison under Yazid Kamil, with Kleber's army assaulting the artillery on the Ottoman right flank as Napoleon's main army threw back several Ottoman assaults. After the Ottoman attacks were repulsed, the French forces counterattacked from two sides, outflanking and defeating the Ottomans. The Ottomans suffered 1,266 losses, while the French suffered 109 losses; the French won a great victory over their foes. The fall of Damascus gave the French influence in the region and helped them in defeating the Ottomans, subduing both Egypt and Turkey.